Plain-bellied Emerald
Chrysuronia leucogaster
Plainly patterned green-and-white hummingbird. Note entirely white underparts and reddish base of bill. Forages actively on flowers like other hummingbirds. Generally absent from regions of undisturbed forest; found in urban areas, mangroves, abandoned plantations, and second-growth scrub; most common in coastal areas. Very similar to White-chested Emerald and may not be safely separable unless seen well; Plain-bellied has longer bill with reddish base.
Identification
The plain-bellied emerald is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long. Males weigh 4 to 4.5 g (0.14 to 0.16 oz) and females about 4.3 g (0.15 oz). Adults have a short, straight to slightly decurved, blackish bill with a red base to the mandible. Adult males of the nominate subspecies C. l. leucogaster have a glittering green crown and sides of the neck. The rest of its upperparts, flanks, and sides of the throat are golden- to bronze-green. The center of its throat and underparts are white. Its inner tail feathers are bronze-green to bronze and the outer ones bluish black. Adult females are similar to the male but have greenish spots on the sides of the throat and grayish green tips to the tail feathers. Immatures resemble the adult female with the addition of brownish edges to the feathers of the back. Subspecies C. l. bahiae is very similar to the nominate but less bronzy.
Taxonomy
The plain-bellied emerald was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus leucogaster. The species had been described and illustrated by the French naturalists Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 and Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1779. Gmelin did not specify a type locality but this was designated as Cayenne, French Guiana, by Hans von Berlepsch in 1908. <p>The plain-bellied emerald was for a time placed in the genus Agyrtria and then in Amazilia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that Amazilia was polyphyletic. In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the plain-bellied emerald was moved by most taxonomic systems to Chrysuronia. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retains it in Amazilia.<p>The genus Chrysuronia had been introduced in 1850 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The name is a portmanteau of the specific names of two synonyms of the golden-tailed sapphire: Ornismya chrysura Lesson, R, 1832 and Ornismia oenone Lesson, 1832. The specific epithet leucogaster is from Ancient Greek leukos meaning "white" and gastēr meaning "belly".<p>Two subspecies are recognised:<p>Some taxonomists have questioned the bahiae is a separate subspecies.
- Scientific name
- Chrysuronia leucogaster
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Chrysuronia
Range and habitat
The plain-bellied emerald's two subspecies have disjunct distributions, though both are coastal. The nominate is found from northeastern Venezuela through Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana into northeastern Brazil as far as Piauí state. C. l. bahiae is found in eastern Brazil from Pernambuco south through Alagoas, Sergipe, and Bahia slightly into Espírito Santo. The species inhabits a variety of semi-open to open landscapes including mangrove, the edges of mature forest, secondary forest, cerrado, caatinga, and human-created areas like plantations, parks, and gardens. It is mostly found near sea level but in Venezuela is found as high as 250 m (800 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The plain-bellied emerald is mostly sedentary but some local dispersal has been noted.<p>The plain-bellied emerald forages for nectar at a variety of flowering plants, shrubs, and trees; species in at least eleven families are known to be sources. It tends to stay near the ground and defends feeding territories. In addition to nectar it feeds on insects captured by hawking from a perch.<p>The plain-bellied emerald's breeding season in the Guianas includes July and August, and it spans from October to February in northeastern Brazil. It makes a cup nest of plant down and leaves with lichen on the outside. It typically places it on a horizontal branch or in a fork within about 5 m (20 ft) of the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for about 14 days and fledging occurs 20 to 25 days after hatch.<p>What is thought to be the plain-bellied emerald's song is "a long series of repeated single 'pseeee' notes". It also makes calls described as "a thin 'tsink' and a high-pitched stuttering series".
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brown-backed Whistler
Pachycephala modesta
A small to medium-sized bird of montane forest middle story and subalpine scrub. Off-white underparts, brown back, gray head, white throat and a brown wash on the sides of the chest. Very similar to Island Whistler but does not co-occur. Mountain Mouse-Warbler is similarly colored but smaller and restricted to the understory or ground. Song, a forceful series of upslurred “whip!” and downslurred “chew!” notes.
Yellow-throated Honeyeater
Nesoptilotis flavicollis
Medium-large honeyeater with bright yellow throat. Back is olive green, head and breast are gray. Underbody and wings have subtle yellow coloration. Juveniles very similar to adults but are duller and have yellow at the base of the bill. Endemic to Tasmania and some surrounding islands; found in most forest and woodland habitats. Feeds primarily on insects and can often be seen foraging on tree trunks.
Steely-vented Hummingbird
Saucerottia saucerottei
Fairly small dark hummingbird, green overall with dark blue tail. Straight, medium-length bill. Sexes similar. Usually seen feeding singly in flowers along forest edge, shrubby second growth, and gardens. Separated from Emeralds by longer bill, blue-and-white vent, bronze patch on rump, and less deeply forked tail.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.